Polley Freedom Case/William Ratliff (Ratcliff)

In 1850, eight freed slaves of the Polley family were kidnapped from Ohio and sold back into slavery. William Ratliff of Wayne County bought four of the children. A suit for freedom brought on their behalf was not settled in their lifetimes. The Polley case concluded in 2012 when a judge ruled that the 1850 sale was illegal and decreed that the children were free as of 1859.

[Reverse]

Born May 1802, he was a prominent landowner and political figure in Wayne County, serving as a county magistrate for thirty years. Though a slave owner, he supported the Union, and in 1861 he served as a delegate to the Second Wheeling Convention and as a member of the General Assembly of the Restored Government of Virginia. He died in Wayne County in February 1885.